Beijing (AFP)
Marc Gasol sent Spain to the finals of the World Basketball Championship, scoring a huge final in a thrilling match against Australia, beaten after two extra games, 95-88, on Friday in Beijing.
The pivot, winner of the NBA title this year with Toronto, scored 33 points, including 11 in the last quarter and 11 in extra time.
This will be the second world final of the Iberian selection, thirteen years after its title of 2006. It will face France or Argentina who are fighting for the second ticket (12:00 GMT).
The thriller of the end of the match was breathless.
Australia led from the very beginning of the second quarter to ... 8 seconds of the end of regulation time. It was Marc Gasol, of course, who put Spain ahead on two free throws.
But the "Boomers", who played their first semifinal at the World Cup, had two more chances to conclude. The first when their best player Patty Mills (34 points) had in turn two free throws to 4 seconds from the end, but missed the second; then at the end of the first extra time when Matthew Dellavedova missed the "floater" of the victory at the buzzer.
The Spaniards, at first very clumsy, raised the defense tone in the second half and were remarkably cool in handling the game late in the game. Leader Ricky Rubio, one of their four NBA players with Marc Gasol and young brothers Juancho and Willy Hernangomez, made a great match with 19 points and no less than 12 assists.
"We stayed positive, we did not get frustrated," commented Gasol.
With this new final, Spain remains in the top of the basket to which it belongs for nearly fifteen years (three European titles, three Olympic medals including two silver, a world medal on the period).
However, she arrived in China without several important elements, including the pivot and historic leader Pau Gasol, 39, injured on one foot and operated during the season, but his brother, 35, is still there to carry the team.
Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernandez are the only two players in the current group who were already present at the 2006 title in Japan.
"We had the chance to live an unforgettable experience and we will try to continue writing history with this great team," said Fernandez, 34.
© 2019 AFP